The heavy iron basin slowly twisted and reshaped itself before transforming back into an ordinary wooden table.
Lucien lowered his wand and picked up the notebook Voldemort had given him once again.
Earlier inside Quirrell's office, he had only skimmed through a few pages. Even that brief glance had been enough to make his heart race.
"Unfortunately," Lucien murmured softly, "your intentions are far too obvious."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he quietly activated Occlumency.
The contents of Voldemort's notebook were unquestionably valuable. Every piece of magical knowledge written inside was genuine.
And that was precisely the problem.
For an eleven-year-old wizard, the dark magic theories inside were far too advanced.
Even a fully grown wizard could easily lose themselves to the corruption hidden within those pages if they weren't careful enough.
Unfortunately for Voldemort, there was one thing he didn't know.
Lucien's Occlumency far exceeded his expectations.
As long as Lucien avoided immersing himself emotionally into the darker concepts, simply studying the knowledge itself posed little danger.
And even if certain sections proved too difficult…
There was still Grindelwald.
Vinda Rosier.
And the Saints.
Handing the notebook to them later would still create enormous value.
Lucien quickly became absorbed within Voldemort's notes. By the time he finally snapped back to reality, the sky outside had already darkened completely.
The amazement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
As expected of a Dark Lord.
Voldemort's understanding of dark magic truly surpassed ordinary wizards by an enormous margin.
Lucien hadn't even learned many actual spells yet, but the conceptual explanations alone had already benefited him tremendously.
Most importantly, Voldemort had completely overturned one of Lucien's previous misconceptions.
Originally, Lucien believed curses, hexes, and jinxes were entirely separate categories of dark magic.
But Voldemort's notebook presented a completely different interpretation.
According to him, all dark magic originated from the caster's malicious intent.
The difference between a jinx, a hex, and a curse wasn't structure.
It was intensity.
For example, spells like Densaugeo or the Tickling Charm appeared harmless on the surface, but through Voldemort's analysis, they were merely weakened or simplified forms of more dangerous magical concepts.
Many unrelated spells could actually combine together to form the foundations of extremely advanced dark magic.
"It's getting late."
Lucien slowly closed the notebook.
"Better eat something first."
"And there's detention in the Forbidden Forest again tonight."
Before leaving, he carefully used Occlumency once more to clear away the lingering negative emotions attempting to influence his thoughts.
Then he recalled his earlier conversation with Voldemort.
Based on Voldemort's questions, Lucien could already infer something important.
The Dark Lord had most likely guessed where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden.
The reason he hadn't acted yet was simple.
Fear of failure.
Once Dumbledore realised someone was targeting the Stone directly, security would become impossible to bypass.
That was why Voldemort wanted information first.
Unfortunately for him, Lucien already knew exactly what was hidden on the third floor.
And he had absolutely no intention of risking his life there.
At most, next week he would casually mention Fluffy's existence to Voldemort.
Then perhaps sell the method for bypassing Fluffy afterward.
One piece of information.
Sold three separate times.
An excellent business strategy.
As for Voldemort's resurrection?
That was Dumbledore's headache.
Even in the original timeline, Dumbledore had known Voldemort was plotting something. Exposing information now would only accelerate events slightly.
A fragmented soul in its current state couldn't create real chaos anyway.
After dinner, Lucien once again followed Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest for detention patrols.
Nothing unusual happened during the journey.
In fact, the next several days became unexpectedly peaceful, allowing Lucien to relax more than he had since arriving at Hogwarts.
On the final day of detention, however, he received a letter from Vinda Rosier.
The contents were extremely brief.
Several shops in excellent locations within Diagon Alley had already been purchased.
They could open whenever Lucien wished.
Nothing else was written.
For most wizards, owls were terrible for transmitting sensitive information. Important details could easily leak during delivery.
Vinda clearly understood Lucien's situation at Hogwarts and deliberately avoided mentioning anything related to the Saints directly.
She simply intended to meet him later somewhere safe to discuss future plans properly.
Lucien thought the same way.
After learning the shop locations were secured, he immediately planned to speak with Hagrid about supplying magical creature materials from the Forbidden Forest.
Later that night, after their patrol ended, Lucien and Hagrid slowly walked toward the forest entrance.
"Hagrid," Lucien said casually, "if you have time over the next few days, you can organise the magical creature materials you plan to sell."
Hagrid blinked.
"When the time comes, I'll simply use an Undetectable Extension Charm to transport everything directly. That way you won't need to waste time delivering them yourself."
Hagrid immediately looked shocked.
"Wait… yeh really meant it?"
His face showed obvious surprise.
"I thought yeh were joking before…"
Lucien looked at him helplessly.
"Did you honestly think I was playing around?"
"Well…"
Hagrid scratched his beard awkwardly.
Lucien sighed dramatically.
"The reason I didn't mention it these past few days is because there were still issues with the shop arrangements."
He smiled slightly afterward.
"Besides, instead of wasting your time searching for delivery locations, it's far more efficient to leave the materials in the hands of Hogwarts' greatest magical creature expert."
The flattery worked instantly.
Lucien's words had originally been intended to secure a convenient scapegoat in case material quality issues arose later.
Yet the way he phrased everything made it sound as though he trusted Hagrid completely.
Even through the giant beard, Hagrid's embarrassed expression remained obvious.
"I'm sorry, Lucien. I shouldn't've doubted a friend…"
"It's fine."
Lucien waved casually.
"I'm only eleven. It's natural for people to hesitate when discussing business with a child."
Hagrid suddenly sighed deeply.
"Sometimes I forget yeh're only eleven."
He shook his head slowly.
"Honestly, Lucien, sometimes it feels like I'm talking to a grown wizard."
Then his expression became unexpectedly serious.
"Yeh should spend more time with Harry and the others."
Lucien raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Kids who grow up too fast tend ter miss out on childhood."
"I'll think about it."
The next morning, despite returning late again, Lucien still woke early due to habit.
Back in Austria, Vinda had forced him to exercise every single morning.
At first, Lucien had thought it pointless. Wizards relied on magic, not physical ability.
Then Vinda had beaten him flat repeatedly without using magic at all.
Only afterward did Lucien finally realise something important.
For wizards, the body was just as important as magical ability.
Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore remained limited by age and physical condition.
Since then, unless circumstances physically prevented him from moving, Lucien maintained regular training almost every day.
After another full day of classes, Lucien finally noticed a serious issue.
The Slytherin dormitories were simply too small.
Reading quietly was fine.
Practising magic was not.
Sooner or later, the noise would attract attention.
"Looks like it's finally time to visit the Room of Requirement."
Lucien recalled one of Hogwarts' most legendary hidden locations.
The Room of Requirement.
Also known as the Come and Go Room.
A magical room that only appeared when someone truly needed it.
It could transform itself entirely according to the user's desires, and even the Marauder's Map couldn't reveal its existence.
"If I practise there," Lucien murmured thoughtfully, "I won't need to worry about anyone discovering me."
Decision made, he slipped Voldemort's notebook into his pocket before quietly making his way toward the eighth floor of Hogwarts.
Soon, he arrived before the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet.
After carefully confirming nobody was nearby, Lucien slowly began pacing before the blank wall opposite the tapestry.
"I need a place to practise magic."
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Suddenly—
A smooth door appeared silently within the wall itself.
No sound.
No warning.
As though it had always existed there.
"Hogwarts truly hides countless secrets…"
A faint smile appeared on Lucien's face.
"With this place, I won't need to hide while practising magic or conducting experiments anymore."
Then he reached forward, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.